OLine:- c........pass protection is non exsistant , and run blocking is spotty

Offense:- B.....if it weren't for bens ability to break away from sacks , the O would be in trouble.

DLine:- B.......haven't applied any qb pressure the last two games

LBers:- B...... see above

Secondary:- C+....... played A grade ball for 3 games ,looked average for 4, giving up way to many third and long.

Defense:B.......need to be more consistent, especially on 3rd down

Special Teams: C-.......kick coverage has been bad at times....reed and sepulvada have looked good

Coaching:B.......didn't make very good half time adjustments againts arizona or denver.

prediction 11-5.....

Black@Gold Forever32

10-30-2007, 08:58 PM

QB: B+ I think Ben will only get better the rest of the year....We're starting to see him become a franchise QB this year so far....

RB: A Yes Willie's TDs are down but thats due to the fact of how effective the passing game has been in the red zone this year which I have no problems with....Have to use all your weapons....Plus Davenports has also been productive when he has been in the game....

WR/TE: A.....especially the TEs.....Plus Holmes is coming into his own as a major weapon and Hines is still Hines when healthy.....

OLine: D....Amazing the Steelers are 5-2 with the performance of this unit as a whole this year....Must get better as the season goes on.....

Offense: B

DLine: B+.....still the best unit on this defense

LBers: B......The LBs have down their jobs this year...Harrison is a beast and Haggans has been Haggans.....Farrior has 4 sacks......Foote has been his usual solid not great self....Now only Woodley needs more playing time...He has 3 sacks in limited action...

Secondary: B........I think the secondary has been solid all year....Had some break downs in the Cards game and in the Broncos game....My only complaint is Troy's play...He hasn't been himself this year....I know I know the Cover-Tomlin has brought to this team and he hasn't been in his Taz role as much this year...But even in the times he has been this year he hasn't been Troy...0 ints and 0 sacks....I like the guy but I hope he starts to adjust since he is the highest paid player in the franchise...

Defense: B

Special Teams: C........The punt return team is still a mess....the coverage units are still inconsistent at times....

2007 Regular Season Final Record: The rest of the schedule does look favorable but all know this is the NFL and any given Sunday any team can beat anybody.....Back in 2001 the Steelers were 13-3 and one of their loses was to the sorry Bengals...lol

I'm going with 12-4 though.....

jjpro11

10-30-2007, 10:43 PM

QB: A... Ben has the 4th highest qb rating in the nfl at 102.2

RB: A-... Willie is the 2nd leading rusher in the nfl and averaging over 100 yds a game.

WR/TE: A... I've been really impressed with the trio of ward, holmes and miller. spaeth has been a pleasant surprise.

OLine: C-... IMO this is the one part of the team that could keep us from going anywhere in the playoffs. too inconsistent.

Offense: A-... 4th in yds per game and 5th in scoring. we are number 1 in 3rd down conversion and are rarely penalized. would just like to see a bit more consistency in the running game.

DLine: B... These past two games dropped them a letter grade. hopefully they get back to form once smith gets back and casey is 100%. still 4th vs the run though.

LBers: B+... Been fairly consistent all year. would like to see them get a bit more pressure.. they still are one of the more solid cores in the nfl.

Secondary: B... We rank 5th vs the pass, but have only 6 interceptions. would like to see a bit more consistency from them. like the Dline, they dropped a bit after that denver game.

Defense: A... It's hard to justify giving them anything lower when they are the number 1 ranked defense in the entire nfl for both scoring and yardage. They are the least penalized unit in the nfl. I'd like to see an improvement on 3rd downs though.

Special Teams: B-... Reed and Sepulveda get A+'s... Rossum has been pretty good on kick returns, but terrible on punt returns. the return coverage has been horrible.

Coaching: A... We're in 1st place. we played like crap in two games and still were in them both til' the final second.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 12-4

Steeldude

10-31-2007, 12:48 AM

QB: B

RB: B+

WR/TE: B

OLine: D- how is simmons starting each week?

Offense: B

DLine: B

LBers: B

Secondary: B

Defense: B+ luckily the steelers have been playing poor teams

Special Teams: B

Coaching: C- the O-line is a joke every week. the steelers have faced some very poor teams.

give or take -/+

Dino 6 Rings

10-31-2007, 07:19 AM

QB: B+

RB: B +

WR/TE: B

OLine: B -

Offense: B

DLine: A-

LBers: A

Secondary: B+

Defense: B+

Special Teams: B+

Coaching: B+

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 14-2

SCSTILLER

10-31-2007, 07:54 AM

QB: B - Ben is throwing high on occasions and some of his deep balls are underthrown not allowing the receiver to run after the catch. Short passes are good. Needs to learn to get rid of the ball if nothing is there.

RB: A- Have to agree with previously said statement "If Kreider was in there, It would be a solid A" Carey seems to be missing blocks, and still not sure about the one back sets, only time will tell. Never been a big Najeh fan.

OLine: Don't ask - looks like swiss cheese. Poor Ben is running for his life most of the time. And Willie hasn't really seen a good hole all year, except when he bounces it outside.

Offense: A I know, doesn't agree with the individual ratings. But our ppg is up, and Willie is the #5? rusher in the league.

DLine: A- Always has been good, not getting the sacks as usual but good at stringing out the RB's, and always pressuring the QB

LBers: B - Solid core, rarely misses tackles. Doesn't seem to be getting in the backfield as much though, but the pass coverage has been great.

Secondary: A - Haven't really given up the long ball, and always keeps the receivers in front of them. A.Smith is a hitting machine and Troy, is, well, Troy. Good to see Ike back in form.

Defense: A - stats don't lie, #1 for a reason

Special Teams: C Sepulveda's is bound to get one blocked soon. Seems like some confusion sometimes. Coverage is good though and Skippy Reed's accuracy is way up.

Coaching: A except for the two losses, nothing to complain about here, except for maybe the O-line coach.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 11-5

Maybe I am just a stern grader.

Lord Stiller

10-31-2007, 08:00 AM

QB: A

RB: A

WR/TE: B

OLine: D- (will cost us our season if they dont get it going)

Offense: B

DLine: B+

LBers: C- (not a standout grup like we are used to)

Secondary: B+ (everyone playing well except Polamalu)

Defense: B (could be better, need to pressure QB more)

Special Teams: C+ (pleased with kickers but coverages are struggling and we have no punt return game and they did cost us the Arizona game specifically Clint F-ing Kriedwalt)

Coaching: B

2007 Regular Season Final Record: Don't do predictions: 12-4

DACEB

10-31-2007, 08:28 AM

QB: B Ben has returned to form physically and is playing much better in the mental part of the game as well. I would say that he still has a way to go mentally. He needs to do better reading defenses and calling protections and changing plays at the line. He has definitely stepped up his game this year and I believe will continue to do so. IMO Ben needs to be more demanding of the people around him on offense, especially the O-line, hopefully that comes in time.

RB: B We have a solid group of running backs. FWP has improved in reading his blocks and his ball protection. Najeh has been great in his backup role. Davis has done a decent job in his first year and we all know Krieder is the best blocking FB in the league. Blitz pickup needs improvement, we'll see Monday how that plays out.

WR/TE: B+ This grade could easily be an A if we had a ligitemate #3 WR and our TEs could stay healthy. I love the fact that the TEs are now actually involved with the offense. Ward is playing great besides a few drops. Holmes is a rising star.

OLine: C This grade could be worse but I think Ben and FWP can be tough to block for at times. These guys need to work harder, it's time for them to start to gel and play as a cohesive unit.

Offense: B- If the offense can eliminate the negative plays they would be right there with the absolute best in the league.

DLine: B The line has played very well and is one of the strengths of this team but when we go to 4 down linemen we need to bring more pressure. Rotate Woodley in more often on passing downs.

LBers: B+ This is definitely a rejuvinated group. I would like to see the younger guys rotate in a little more. Farrior and Haggans are having a very good year.

Secondary: B+ This has to be the most improved group on the team. Still have work to do but I think you have to look at the pressure we're not getting when we go to 4 man D-line in passing situations.

Defense: B This group has performed very well, the stats don't lie, but they have also had trouble getting off the field at times. Many of the schemes have worked great but we have been exposed in certain situations.

Special Teams: C+ The kicking game has improved with Sep and Reed having a good year but the coverage units have been suspect. Punt returns are pitiful but we are holding on to the ball.

Coaching: B I don't think you can deny what Tomlin has brought to this team as far as attitude and enthusiasm. I think he has done a pretty good job for his first year so far but he still has a way to go as far as gameday experience. Each coordinator has done a very good job with each unit but again have IMO struggled with gameday adjustments. I give them credit for the way they have handled the roster and injuries so far this year. I think the staff needs to do a better job of recognizing our weaknesses and limitations especially O-line and work around those, but that could also be a test of attrition on Tomlins part in the first half of the season.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 11-5 AFCN Champs

fansince'76

10-31-2007, 08:58 AM

Coaching: C- the O-line is a joke every week. the steelers have faced some very poor teams.

And how is the O-line in its current state a reflection on Tomlin's coaching? It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t. If the OL is neglected in the '08 draft, then some criticism will be warranted. The Pats have played some very poor teams as well, but that hasn't prevented the media from slobbing their collective knob nonstop.

HometownGal

10-31-2007, 10:38 AM

QB: B+

RB: A

WR/TE: B

OLine: C

Offense: B+

DLine: A-

LBers: A

Secondary: B

Defense: A-

Special Teams: C+

Coaching: A-

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 11-5

Steeldude

10-31-2007, 10:56 AM

And how is the O-line in its current state a reflection on Tomlin's coaching? It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t. If the OL is neglected in the '08 draft, then some criticism will be warranted. The Pats have played some very poor teams as well, but that hasn't prevented the media from slobbing their collective knob nonstop.

everything on the team is a reflection of coaching. did it say head coach only or coaching? someone must coach the O-line. also, who was it that hired larry zierlein?

HometownGal

10-31-2007, 11:06 AM

It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.

And that statement, folks, is 100% spot on. :thumbsup:

Even if we had the very best OLC in the league, if you don't have the right ingredients, the final product isn't worth jack. Our OL is our achilles heel this season, even more than ST's. The right side hasn't improved all that much with Colon in there and Ben is being forced out of the pocket and running around like a chicken with his head cut off a helluva lot more than he should be. It is up to Tomlin to revamp the line in draft and FA and I'm sure his wheels are already turning in that regard. The inadequacies on our OL are glaring.

Atlanta Dan

10-31-2007, 11:44 AM

QB: B+ (Ben still forces throws, has issues throwing the deep ball, and is often blind to where the safety is in pass coveages - these presumably are fixable flaws in a bounceback season)

RB: A- (Willie. P. is having a fine year, but the fumbles are a lurking concern, the Steelers are getting litte out of the FB position, and Arians play calling flickers in and out of focus)

WR/TE: B (A for Heath Miller/B- for WR, which hopefully will change with Hines healthy)

OLine: C- (if Ben was not so mobile and Willie P. not able to bounce outside this would be lower & with Faneca leaving does not appear likely to improve anytime soon)

Offense: B+ (Monday night is the first decent defense the Steelers have played other than perhaps Buffalo, which was in shock from the Denver loss and the coveage man being injured the prior week)

DLine: A- (good performance with both Casey and A. Smith having missed games)

LBers: B (it may be the post-bye philosophy has been pure Cover 2, but pass rush pressure has disappeared)

Secondary: B (Troy is not playing up to his standards - either the ribs are still bothering him, the opposition has decoded his freewheeling style, or he is taking his time assimilating the Cover 2 responsibilities while playing with the same tentativeness he exhibited in his rookie year)

Defense: B+ (good red zone performance in Cincy but last 2 games have shown some cracks in run and pass D)

Special Teams: C- (poor coverage and getting nothing out of Rossum other than the 1TD return gets a D for return & coverage teams - B for Sepulveda & Reed (with a potential concern being that Reed has resumed not booming the kickoffs recently))

Coaching: B+ (good overall style but outcoached in Arizona & Denver against inferior teams - Arians is still finding his way on calling a game, LeBeau & Tomlin have some hiccups in blending their styles, and ST coaching has been disappointing)

everything on the team is a reflection of coaching. did it say head coach only or coaching? someone must coach the O-line. also, who was it that hired larry zierlein?

Someone coaches Manning & Brady while someone else coaches Joey Harrington + Cleo Lemon - hard to pin all the differences on QB play in Indy & New England as opposed to Atlanta & Miami on the quality of the QB coaching

At some point performance has something to do with the available talent

HometownGal

10-31-2007, 12:03 PM

RB: A- (Willie. P. is having a fine year, but the fumbles are a lurking concern,

Prov - did you kidnap Dan? :flap::wink02::flap:

fansince'76

10-31-2007, 12:09 PM

RB: A- (Willie. P. is having a fine year, but the fumbles are a lurking concern,

Prov - did you kidnap Dan? :flap::wink02::flap:

Of course not - if that were the case, he'd have given the entire team an F and blamed it all on Willie. :toofunny:

Mosca

10-31-2007, 01:04 PM

QB: B+. Ben still makes the silly interception. But his ability to make broken plays work is an invaluable skill.

RB: A. You couldn't ask for more without seeming greedy.

WR/TE: B+. They're doing a great job, but there are better guys around the league still.

OLine: B-. Good run blocking, inconsistent pass blocking. But we're 5-2, so anything lower than this isn't being fair.

Offense: B+

DLine: A-. The minus is for the performance in Denver.

LBers: A-. Same answer.

Secondary: A-, same answer.

Defense: A-. Same answer.

Special Teams: C. Where is our special punter? And Reed's kickoffs are short of the goal line again. Coverage on kicks, both for and against, is mediocre. Rossum's TD saves this from being a C-.

Coaching: B. Tomlin is doing well, but I think you have to put the intellectual and physical together with the emotional. The burning fire is what is setting the Pats apart this year. Coach Tomlin needs to burn.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 11-5, and a first round playoff exit.

Mosca

10-31-2007, 01:14 PM

Remember that Ben is only into his 7th game of calling out O-line blocking assignments. Watch, every now and then you see one of the linemen set up to block someone who isn't there, while a linebacker blows through untouched. That is on-the-fly lack of adjustment, not a lack of skill or strength or speed. It will solve itself as Ben gets better at it.

Atlanta Dan

10-31-2007, 01:20 PM

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 11-5, and a first round playoff exit.

You see a home playoff loss to Jax or Tennessee (or the Browns winning the division and a road loss to Cleveland or San Diego)?

I cannot fathom a win at Indy or New England, but I am assuming they win at home on the first playoff weekend.

Michael Keller

10-31-2007, 02:13 PM

QB A

RB A

W/R T/E B+

O LINE C-

OFFENSE B+

D LINE A+

L BERS A-

SECONDARY B+

DEFENSE A

SPECIAL TEAMS C

COACHING A

2007 REGULAR SEASON FINAL RECORD 12-4

Mosca

10-31-2007, 02:35 PM

You see a home playoff loss to Jax or Tennessee (or the Browns winning the division and a road loss to Cleveland or San Diego)?

I cannot fathom a win at Indy or New England, but I am assuming they win at home on the first playoff weekend.

Naw, I had it wrong in my head. I was figuring we'd lose our first game to either of those two teams. I had the playoff pairings mixed up in my head.

Tom

FastWillieParker39

10-31-2007, 05:07 PM

QB: B+ Can definitly tell that last year was an abberation as he's back to his old self

RB: A+ - Yea, no surprise here

WR/TE: A- - I'm loving our WR's and TE's in our passing game

OLine: C - ehh a little under than decent but an improvment from last year

Offense: B+ - Offense much better now than in the Cowher years and I'm digging it!

Dline: B+- Could be better, let Cincy's backup RB run all over us but shutdown Shaun Alexander

LBers: A+ - No surprise

Secondary: B - ehhh not so good against Denver but overall pretty good

Defense: A - I know I have only one A for one unit on the D and A for the whole defense but this D is very good like always

Special Teams - C+ - Agree with what everyone else said about ST

Coaching: A- - Some incosistency but hey I like Tomlin and gang so far

Prediction: 11-5 winning the AFCN

rich4eagle

10-31-2007, 06:42 PM

Did anyone review the schedule? The Browns have a bunch of loser remaining on their scedule the Steeler MUST beat them or have big time problems because Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards can play

zoneblitz43

10-31-2007, 10:20 PM

QB: B+. Ben has shown a lot of improvement, and his 15 td's and 102 passer rating shows it. Get rid of the silly turnovers such as the pick thrown to Deltha O'Neal last Sunday and the disasterous pick thrown to Adrian Wilson and he would get an A.

RB: B+. Willie has done a great job aside from the game at Arizona. Davenport has impressed me, and we have good depth at both RB and FB positions.

WR/TE: A. Miller and Spaeth have been awesome in the red zone. It's about time they started utilizing Miller's talent. Spaeth is an excellent red zone target. Ward slumped for a while and got injured but he is getting his game back. Holmes is quickly becoming a star.

OLine: C-. The o-line is the weakness of the Steelers. Ben doesn't have time to throw the ball, all too often he is being sacked or trying to avoid being sacked on passing plays. Ben is still new at calling the blocking assignments, so hopefully we will see this problem solve itself.

Offense: B+.

DLine: B+. Do a great job of stopping the run. Smith, Hampton, and Keisel are the best 3-4 d-line in the NFL.

LBers: B+. The only problem here is difficulty getting to the QB past couple games, but doing a great job stopping the run. Farrior shows he is still a great player. Lamarr Woodley has a future.

Secondary: B. A lot of improvement, however we need to stop dropping those interceptions.

Defense: B+

Special Teams:B-. Stopped turning the ball over is a huge relief. Sepulveda and Jeff Reed have done well. Punt coverage is still awful.

Coaching:B so far, Tomlin has impressed and shows no signs of stopping. LeBeau is the best defensive coordinatior in the league, and I like that the coaching staff is giving Ben the freedom to make decisions instead of making the decisions for him.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 12-4

Godfather

10-31-2007, 10:57 PM

QB: A. Ben looks like the Ben of 2004-05 instead of the first half of 2006.

RB: A. Willie is awesome.

WR/TE: A. Miller and Spaeth have been awesome in the red zone. It's about time they started utilizing Miller's talent. Spaeth is an excellent red zone target. Ward slumped for a while and got injured but he is getting his game back. Holmes is quickly becoming a star.--Can't improve on that at all.

OLine: D. First half of the Denver game, Ben spent more time on his back than Britney Spears. He made some jaw-dropping plays against the Bungholes, but most of them involved making a play with the entire defense hanging on him.

Offense: A-

Defense: Grading as a unit--the biggest problem is giving up ttoo many yards on short passes, but i don't know whether to blame the pass rush or the coverage.

Special Teams:B. Sepulveda is awesome and Reed's getting the job done. Rossum is a decent returner.

Coaching: A. Tomlin was the best hire of the offseason, and LeBeau brings experience and stability that will pay off in the postseason.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 12-4. All of the remaining games are winnable--only the Patricheats would even be an upset--but I still think we drop a couple along the way.

SteelDogFan

11-01-2007, 10:30 AM

QB: B+ I believe there are times when Ben does not throw the ball and would rather scramble until some one frees up, first half at Denver. But in the second half he came out firing. # step drop and the ball was out.

RB: A Willie always runs hard and the only reason he gets stopped for a loss is blocking.
WR/TE: B+ maybe its not in some game plans but I would love to see Matt S more involved. The WR are playing great.
OLine: B- They haven't been together for a while this will be an A by game 12

Offense: B- Play calling at times, I believe we call to many passing plays. If a team cant stop the run, run the ball down their throat.

DLine: C I know there job is to clog holes and they do a good job of that. But we dont get ascks unless its a linebacker doing it. We need a pass rushing DE or TK

LBers: A+ Nothing needs said here!

Secondary: B- As for play so far, but when they go up against a passing offense I hope they can still get the job done.

Defense: A Even though there are times were they give up some plays the D is solid all around

Special Teams: B

Coaching: B+ there are times when instead of doing the thing the defense is worst at they continue to call plays that goes to their strength, doesnt make sense.

2007 Regular Season Final Record: 12-4 up from 10-6

Team grade: A The team has come together well under Tomlin and they love to play for him. Even though they did not get Russ or Ken that speaks volumes on both players and the coaching staff . You may win a few games with a new coach. Gruden won the Superbowl with TB. But he was already an NFL head coach. For the team to be doing this well has to surprise a lot of people. But I bet it doesnt suprise the Rooneys.

Lord Stiller

11-01-2007, 10:56 AM

Why am I the only person that did not give the LB'ers an A???

The most important part of a 3-4 defense is the OLB's getting pressure on the QB consistently which Harrison and Haggans especially have not done.

This is likely Haggans last season with us anyways, its time to start splitting his playing time with Woodley

Elvis

11-03-2007, 05:38 AM

Offense
QB=B
RB=B
WR=C+
TE=B+
OL=C
Defense
DL=A(with Smith) C without
ILB=A+
OLB=C-
Secondary=B
Special Teams=C+
Over All Team
Tomlin has brought a new enthusiasm to our team and I like the way
we are headed right now. Our OLB's need Alot more production. And our O Line needs more consistency and better pass blocking.

revefsreleets

11-03-2007, 05:59 PM

I'm waiting for Mondays game, which is the true halfway point. The rats game will go a long way to determining my grades.

BritishSteel

11-04-2007, 06:55 PM

QB: - A solid B played some top-quality football, but I still get a bit nervous when we're chasing games.

RB: B+ Making yards when it counts - the one-two attack of FWP & Najeh looks good, but would like more TDs.

WR/TE: A- Most improved area of the team IMHO - we carry a genuine arial threat.

OLine: C+ Still looking creaky on Pass protection, but better than last year.

Offense: B Pretty good and with multiple threats.

DLine: A- Looking good for the most part so far

LBers: A Terrific against the run.

Secondary: B- Teams with a decent QB still seem to have a deep threat against us.

Defense: B+ With secondary play in the second half of the season this will rise

Special Teams: B Kicking not really a problem Sepulveda is the real deal and Reed looks less out of sorts, but return coverage still makes me sweat a bit.

Coaching: B+ Solid in any regard, but in a rookie year, pretty impressive.